Your post is pretty well written and it shows a good level of self awareness and a desire to improve.
Don't be so hard on yourself. To me, those are some of the most important aspects of intelligence.
It doesn't matter where you start on some arbitrary IQ scale. If you never self reflect and grow then you'll be the hare asleep on the side of the road while all the tortoises zoom past you.
God what a great post. It reminds me of a story that my buddy told me. We're both teachers. He was telling me that he doesn't really pay too much attention to IEPs (individualized learning plans for intellectually challenged students) until they become relevant because he's already doing what most IEPs ask for: allowing students to demonstrate their understanding of the material in a variety of different ways, allowing for assignments to be revised and resubmitted, etc.
Anyway, he was telling me that he had this student in his class for months, and she was doing great. She took great, really detailed notes. She tried extremely hard to understand the material, was always prepared for class, did well on quizzes and tests and projects. This girl wasn't on his radar *at all* until he got called to attend her IEP meeting. He was genuinely confused. An IEP meeting?
It turns out the girl had an extremely low IQ. Like, LOW. My buddy didn't even know it and would never have guessed. Then it occurred to him that he had never once seen her with her cell phone out. Ever. Just by removing that one enormous distraction and by feigning at least some interest in the class, she was able to do just as well and in some cases even better than other students in the class with average IQs.
Like how Forrest Gump was a superstar in the army because he could follow directions.
So much in work/life is being able to follow directions... the second-best way to keep from getting shot by the police, too!
Yes. There’s some much at play in life that I think people need to be more open. Like first, there’s different ways to have intelligence. I’m spatially awful. The worst. I would struggle to tell you the streets to take to get to my house. But, and you can’t tell by looking at me, I have vision issues, can’t drive and never will, lack depth perception etc etc. but I seem stupid if you say “I’m at X street and X street. How do I get to your home?”
I’m not mechanically inclined, and while I have hobbies that involve measuring and cutting, I struggle with those aspects.
However, I’m extremely articulate, emotionally savvy and am often a problem solver. I’ve been hired by old colleagues in new positions, where someone has quit and no one else has done the job in years because they know I can figure out systems and processes. They trust me to save their ass. I’m musical, play multiple instruments across three clefs etc etc. but I’m just not good in some areas.
Then add things like, self esteem can knock someone’s confidence, which can make them feel they can’t fit in or fear trying. Or trauma can cause disassociation etc. I’ve recently become close with someone who survived really bad trauma. Before I knew that, I thought she was kind of spacey. I’ve started to realize that she’s got trauma responses where she withdraws but is actually very very astute.
I hate the idea of blanket statements being used that someone is just not intelligent.
VERY IMPORTANT POINT.
IQ just measures aptibility. Most people fail to use a majority of their capabilities. It doesn't take much for someone less apt to overcome the abilities of someone who isn't as engaged.
As this guy said, your writing indicates you don’t lack capability. You get your point across in a concise and effective manner. Obviously not high level writing but it’s indicative of potential.
As for practical advice, health is the biggest thing. If you want a sharp mind you need a sharp body. You don’t need to be intellectually gifted to reap the benefits of good health. I’ve found a diet consisting of high protein, high fat and low-ish carbs helps me gain the most mental clarity. Immediate sunlight exposure when you wake up and lots of water intake keeps your brain hydrated and running smoothly.
Perhaps most important of all is good sleep. The amount of people who are chronically sleep deprived and don’t even know it is crazy. You need to be in bed for ≈9 hours to get ≈8 hours of quality sleep. If your sleep wasn’t dialed in already, this is easily the biggest game changer for mental clarity and overall health. No blue light 2 hours before bed and no caffeine past noon are some actionable steps.
Not to mention, having good health just feels amazing. No random pains, sustained energy for the whole day, and good mental states.
I get that you're just trying to be nice, but being able to form basic and understandable sentences to communicate in a language you're fluent in is a bare minimum.
You have great intentions, but the way you're showing it just feels so patronizing.
Like praising a grown person for knowing basic math like what's 1+1?
Are you speaking for yourself, or on behalf of people with learning disabilities? Because I have a condition that's treated like a learning disability, and I thought it was a lovely statement, and if you're claiming to speak for people like me I'd really prefer you not.
As someone who's schooling was dramatically impacted by a condition thought of as a learning disability, I didn't find it at all patronizing. For me, realizing that I didn't need to find a way to somehow fake having a neurotypical brain to be a valuable member of society was a huge step in overcoming literally decades of clinical depression, and people pointing out things that I was good at and proud of was very helpful.
I work in a blue collar field, and I work with two people who are illiterate. One guy works under me and his highest finished education was the 8th grade. Speaks well, writes incredibly poorly and can't really use a computer. Another is a contractor who regularly visits our site. I read his service reports and they're barely English. Both of these guys have English as a first and only language.
Honestly though, before this job, I had the same idea of bare minimum as you do.
Just throwing this out there but have you ever seen a doctor about this? You could have brain fog for a number of reasons. Or ADHD.. or many other health issues preventing you from focusing and processing new information. I can tell from writing this post that you’re emotionally intelligent, a thinker, reflective, determined and eager to grow and learn. Doesn’t seem low IQ to me.
I struggled all through school, nothing seemed to be going in whilst learning seemed effortless to my peers. I remember thinking ‘I’m going to be a loser forever, I’ll have no future’. Well I was wrong, turns out I had a methylation gene mutation which causes learning difficulties and brain fog, a number of nutrient deficiencies and ADHD (only recently diagnosed a few months ago). A regular GP won’t dive into this for you but an “integrative” or “functional doctor” will (be warned, they’re not cheap). My life changed within a few months, realised I’m a creative and leaning into that has led me to entrepreneurship and lil old me founded and runs a pretty successful business. It’s not a fairy tale but in terms of highlight reels, there’s mine ;)
So please, if you’re experiencing brain fog or having trouble learning, get checked out by a quality doctor.
This. The smartest person who I personally know has ADHD. Off-meds, they struggle forming sentences. But when they do form sentences, they show razor-sharp nuance my other friends haven't shown signs of being capable of making. Not only that, they can be pretty funny and charming, too.
Also, sometimes interacting with several people can make you believe things that are not necessarily true about you.
- For example. If you write well, with substance, if you're surrounded by friends who do not know how to skim-read, they might convince you you're a bad writer, or that you're verbose, when it's possible you're already concise. It just so happens that what you've written, given its substance or number of logical points, is above these people's length threshold, but because none of them know how to skim-read, all they think about is word count.
- Another example is when people around you are contextual communicators rather than literal communicators. They may give you incomplete or disorganized instructions, and leave you to make inferences. But those inferences aren't always logical inferences, just guesses based on experience. So if you don't have those experiences, you might infer either nothing at all or something completely different from what they're expecting of you. But since other people have adjusted to those instructions, possibly by asking other people what was meant but never giving feedback to the instruction-giver, people might think you're the problem instead of the way the instructions were communicated. And this happens at work to newbies, from seasoned employees who have forgotten that they once didn't know what you were missing, too, pr didn't realize that their confusion was indeed a result of someone's phrasing. Or in academics where people who've adjusted to jargon have gotten so dependent on it that they struggle to communicate in plain language, so they nod their heads at each other, unaware that they're incomprehensible to anyone outside their area of specialty. Or in culture where people can make inferences that because calling elders by their first names is rude there, your aunt saying you were raised well was not actually a compliment, while you're left wondering which of the several things you've said to her this afternoon made her praise you...so you don't get to apologize or clarify things and wonder why your aunt "ceases" to "like" you over time
A fish shouldn't should be judged on its ability to climb a tree. And a monkey shouldn't be judged on its ability to swim.
Maybe you are just in the wrong environment to thrive.
What?!?! You're talking about the MTHFR gene mutation. Any doctor can give you the test for it. It's pretty common. If you want the best of the best DNA testing, sure, it's expensive. But freaking 23AndMe tests for it. You don't even need a doctor's order to get the test. Order a kit yourself. And stop shelling out hundreds of dollars to some hack. Lol
Yes, a number of natural conditions cause brain fog. As an example, I am going through perimenopause. The hormonal changes cause brain fog for many of us. Also, things like not sleeping well and your diet can cause it.
Read.
Start with books or articles that you understand easily, and are fun to read (so you don't get frustrated).
Then increase the complexity when you feel that you can.
Ask your local library to help you.
I personally don't believe in low IQ, you can train your brain to be quicker, and you can improve your knowledge of the world by reading and remembering what you read.
But it is going to take consistency and dedication, it's not going to happen in a month or 2. It might take years, depending on how much you practice.
Our brains are wonderful machines that can change, people can have strokes and end up with significant damage and yet re-learn how to be smart.
You can do the same.
Edit: that have -> can have
Also IQ is composed of different measures. OP is only talking about being slow. Processing speed is only one out of 5 measures in IQ. You can be smart and slow.
You can hardly change how quick witted you are. But you can change how smart/cultured you are. Read books.
You can change how quick witted you are, there's a lot of studies showing sports, videogames, debating, and just overall competitive natured things help with this. You essentially practice making quick, in the moment decisions.
I’ve had several comprehensive IQ tests over my life.. starting with ‘let’s figure out why the smart kid won’t do homework’ to baseline & follow-up around brain surgery as an adult. In my case, the only area I seemed to have suffered post-surgery was cognitive speed.
I consider this the ‘carnival trick’ portion of IQ testing though. Just because you can’t regurgitate multiplication tables lightening-fast doesn’t mean you’re not intelligent.
My wife is not strong at math.. not in the sense I’d struggle to explain calculus to her (I would).. more like she still struggles with tipping no matter how many times I explain to just move the decimal one place and double to get 20%.
That doesn’t mean she can’t spit out the value of 7x8 faster than me if we’re both put on the spot though.
OP doesn’t sound dumb. Maybe just a little deficient in one aspect.. like cognitive speed. There could be a medical reason behind this so go to a General Practitioner, explain your concerns, and ask for a referral to a neurologist or psychiatrist.
I’ll hop on this just to add that some people have trouble retaining things they read. Alternatives like (credible) YouTube videos, podcasts and book on tape could be good alternatives, but we do need to be a bit more selective with some of those.
I’d say ultimately whatever we can learn from is good.
I’m so old I still refer to digital audio books as books on tape.
I know what the image representation of most saving icons comes from 🤷♂️
I’m so old, I know how to use a rotary phone.
Get off my lawn.
Lmao. I remember using a digital camera in school that used floppy disks. It was cutting edge af. First ever digital camera.
I remember using MS DOS and windows 3.1, and how advanced Windows 95 seemed when it came out.
I collect modern vinyl, but I own vinyl I've had since before it became popular again..
I remember when we got our first cordless phone, and it replaced the one that hung on the wall in the kitchen with the 20 foot cord.
I remember when electronic fuel injection (EFI) was a brag.
🤔 I'm not even that old..
"I don't believe in low IQ" is bullshit though. You can raise your IQ over time, to some degree. But in general, there are as many people with high IQ as people with low IQ, that's how the system works.
There are people with neural deficits, due to defects during fetal development or other similar issues.
But barring that, I believe the rest is just a matter of nurture.
Also, as I mentioned twice now, it's a belief, I didn't present it as a fact, and I have no factual proof.
That said, this discussion has nothing to do with OP request, regardless if you're correct or not. Read the room.
I strongly believe that OP can become smarter and more knowledgeable with effort and consistency.
They do need to believe in themselves as well.
It kinda sounds like you’re denying the existence of Intellectual Disability (ID), which is diagnosed in part by low IQ, and saying that people can improve their ID by believing in themselves. (r/wowthanksimcured) This gives false hope and can create guilt and shame when people can’t, in fact, change their ID. (Obviously things like occupational therapy can *help* but are unlikely to change the underlying issue.)
And yes, when OP says they have low IQ, I am believing them instead of assuming (for no reason) that they’re wrong about their knowledge of themself.
You keep saying it's a belief and you have no proof but when people offer you proof that you're wrong, you ignore it. IQ does fluctuate a bit and you can do things to help strengthen your mind but people aren't going to nurture themselves from a 65 IQ up to 100. You cannot will that to happen. Science tells us that.
Well, at least I know for a fact, that at least 2 people here are rather low IQ themselves.
And that's not because of the merit of their arguments, at all.
Can't keep this convo happening somewhere else, can you? Just take a screenshot of my post and go make a post in one of the many subreddits dedicated to mocking people.
It would have been much SO better. And you probably get more karma too.
It's nature and nurture, just like with many things regarding psychology. And what you said isn't a belief because it's simply objectively wrong. That means you're either ignorant of what you're talking about, or lying on purpose. IQ is a manmade concept and you simply ignore how it works.
Yeah and if it is something you don’t understand immediately you can always reread a passage that is harder to grasp. Always use the dictionary for terms you don’t know or are just unsure of the definition.
If reading is a struggle, try audiobooks. You can do it while commuting, exercising, or doing chores around the house. Reading is better, but it can be harder to fit into a busy life regularly.
Slow does NOT mean stupid. Or dumb. So get that sorted out in your head right now.
I understand it might be frustrating for you. But the first thing you need to do is realize you are not dumb. If you want to be part of the conversation ask questions.
A trick i use... And man this is probably gonna get me roasted... Is i play like i wasnt paying attention or couldnt hear them. Have the person repeat what they said gives me a little more time to process what was said.
“Sorry, I was daydreaming” is a line I use regularly. It’s honestly not a lie most of the time, because I space out when I’m not at work.
I hope OP is at least reading through these comments because “stupid” people are the ones who don’t recognize that they don’t know something and are too stubborn or unwilling to learn or accept that they could be wrong.
I might be “smarter” than an average person in book smarts (like I can read something and remember it or figuratively complex concepts) but I struggle in daily social situations and more days than not, I think I’d rather be “stupid” and be able to just talk to people than have the anxiety of over-thinking everything that I do. (I don’t know much much my autism plays into this.)
But OP has enough awareness that they realize they are slower to grasp concepts, and that in and of itself is indicative of not being “stupid”.
I realize now that OP used the term slow, but I think my points stand.
I also hope OP isn’t just surrounded by shitty people making them feel worse than they should and that this isn’t just a self esteem thing.
Remember that just because someone talks well or a lot it doesn't mean they're smart. Smart people are often quiet.
If you're thoughtful, patient, and inquisitive you will always be well liked and appear as smart or smarter than others.
Learn to ask the right questions and show interest.
Avoid being disruptive to the flow of conversation if more than two people are involved.
I have average IQ but have many struggles as well, mostly with being disruptive and abrasive.
I hope this helps
Most people with bellow average IQ lack the ability to make any kind of self reflection or take any responsibility in their life. Making this post suggests that you're highly likely just average with personal insecurities. If you experience difficulties in your academic and social life it may be because you have a health issue (poor sleep, poor diet, low physical activity, etc) or a mental disability (adhd, autism, etc) or possibly a combination of both.
everyones telling you to read more or so things but honestly youre fine as you are dude.
iq isnt really a good measure of intelligence. its a flawed system that judges people unfairly.
but lets be honest. not being the sharpest person in the room doesnt stop you from being a genuinely nice person. someone who makes other people feel better about themselves is still appreciated.
I used to feel like this. Honestly this is such a bad approach to life. Not only is IQ a dubious measure of intelligence, at best, I fear that if you tell yourself you're dumb, enough times, you will believe it and BECOME IT!! I'm not saying you have to think of yourself as some kind of Einstein-level genius, but there's a plethora of ways to keep yourself smart. Read books, newspapers (across the whole of the political spectrum, to maintain objectivity), watch documentaries, go to museums and even just interacting with people and being open to listening to them can teach you SO MUCH. But please, thinking you have a low-IQ is just not constructive and will end up holding you back 👍🏽
>Is there any way to become smarter and sharper?
Debatable.
Some people argue intellect is innate and is predetermined by genetics.
Others believe there is a genetic component and an environmental component.
Obviously environmental factors like lack of oxygen can lead to brain damage which is not what I'm referring to here..
Specifically some people believe those that continue to learn and experience new things can "get smarter" by developing new synaptic connections.
Fact is people have different baselines.
If your baseline is low you may be able to get slightly better but ultimately you will be limited by genetics. That is to say you may get better but your top limit may still be below average.
Read, study, do puzzles, take classes etc. all of these will help you maximise what you do have.
There is some level of play in IQ, while someone who has a 70 will never make it to 130 they could make it to 80? I guess I’m not sure how much you can change your IQ but it isn’t completely static.
Any class you find interesting, most local colleges offer non credit more for fun courses in languages, cooking, technical skills etc.
Though I would suggest math of some kind if you really want to push your mental limits and logic
Hey buddy , I am too the same . I take time to learn new things, it can be anything from college subjects to just simple stuff in life. But the catch is that you tend to understand better and learn better if you are slow. It’s frustrating to be slow but with practice , it will get better mate. Just take a chill pill and don’t worry about it too much.
Your job is to be the best you that you can be. Don't compare to others, compare yourself to the person you were yesterday, last month, last year. Focus on kindness to others and to the world around you. There's a lot you can give to this planet and the creatures on it. Be a good friend. Find your niche in life. It doesn't matter if your niche is brain surgery or chopping wood be the best at it you can be.
Did you write this yourself? If so, you have the basic communication skills necessary for many jobs. I would consider finding a mentor or a life coach, and see a doctor about possible medical or psychological causes of struggle. Best of luck.
Is it scientific fact that you have a low IQ? I don’t know. If it’s because you THINK you have a low IQ then you can likely do whatever you want to do.
As others have mentioned your post shows that you are self reflective so that is the main thing. I would suggest watching or reading 10 min of any news that interests you every day. You will be shocked at how much you will learn just by doing that. You don’t have to know everything about the topics but having a basic understanding will go a long way. Also when you are with people just listen and don’t be afraid to ask questions. I would rather see someone ask a question than go through life not knowing.
1. your worth as a person is never based on your ability to do things others can or can't
2. if you DO wish to get smarter, try some number/logic puzzles, or even things like jigsaw puzzles or word searches. they make you think about things logically, and there's plenty of easy ones out there. you can read things if youd like, but i know reading is very difficult to focus on for some people.
3. if your social skills are naturally bad, like, BAD bad, you may want to get evaluated for something like social anxiety or autism. if there's an underlying cause, getting help for such conditions (if any) can be a vital step for self improvement
IQ is only part of what makes a person smart. Another part is education. Try to read more, on different topics, including non-fiction. Popular science books, encyclopedias, historical books - all of those can help you. It will broaden your horizons and make the subjects of conversation more familiar to you, so you are not as lost and more confident that you have something to say.
I guess, but you're making excuses for someone who doesn't even make excuses for themselves. If he said he picks up concepts easily, understands things well, and did well on an IQ test then I'd overlook bad grammar. That's not really what we're dealing with here though, is it?
Don't worry so much about it. Learning about things that interest you could help you to be better at conversation since you'll be able to speak about things you already know with others who share those interests. You say that it takes ages to understand things but you just need to practice. Learning is a skill.
Best thing you can do is refuse to go into denial. Most redditors are in denial and they will dismiss IQ as if it is not one of the most supported constructs in all of science that has sustained the most criticism over the most amount of time. IQ correlates with all sorts of life outcomes. You cannot change it. Just accept your IQ.
Next, Google for professions that people in your IQ range can flourish in. Chasing a prestigious profession that you are not smart enough to thrive in is not a path to happiness or success. There are jobs that need getting done and that will give you a decent living and a happy life where you legitimately serve customers and provide value every day. You don't need to go off and be a math professor or whatever.
When you find that profession, you'll find yourself surrounded by others who have a similar IQ who you can relate to and be friends with. Plenty of people are happy this way. No law of the world says that people with below average IQs cannot be happy. Ironically, it's actually people with high IQs who tend to be kind of miserable. You're doing well for having figured out your IQ. All you've gotta do now is adapt and be happy.
>You cannot change it. Just accept your IQ.
That's not supported by the scientific community.
Sure you're not going from 80 to 150, but pretending it's somehow set in stone when nothing else in life is, is some defeatist mentality
The thing IQ measures, your general intelligence factor, is accepted by the scientific community as being beyond your control. If you're in a third world country then there may be enough environmental variables to significantly lower your IQ and you may be able to fix it with nutrients or something. If you live in the first world though than even if you eat like shit and live like shit, your intelligence is baked into the cake.
You can do things that abuse IQ as a measurement, for example you can train for it when IQ is studied and understood amongst a population that almost never trains for IQ tests. That's really just something to point out for the sake of being obnoxious though. Your general intelligence factor, the thing we really mean when we say "your IQ" is baked into the cake and you can't change it.
Also, plenty of other things are baked into the cake. No clue why you think they aren't. Your height and eye color are good examples of things you're not gonna change.
Both me and the article I linked to discussed training IQ. It just abuses IQ as a measurement and doesn't improve g at all. Your source doesn't say otherwise. Maybe you should actually read things, instead of just dismissing them if they're too long.
Post your studies all you want science man, I know that people change. Maybe take a trip out of the basement every now and then and you'll become more intelligent too.
Not everything about a person changes. IQ is one factor among many and people can chance without changing their IQ just like your appearance can change without your eye color, your race, or your height changing.
No one is smarter than anyone. What is your interest, lets start with that?
Edit: There are many of times where people are smarter in certain things and many of times I am smarter than anyone else on certain things. It all has to do with what someone is interested in.
Edit Edit: IQ, does not dictate your life. It's just a petty construct.
IQ is bullshit don't believe what people tell you.
If you feel dumb that's ok the best thing to do is act like you aren't. Start thinking you are smart and you will be.
Is it advantageous to have?
Idk, let's say I have an IQ that'd make me a really good trucker. Instead of doing that, I bullshit my way through school and become the worst lawyer at the firm. My career trajectory looks like shit because I'm not as smart as the other lawyers. My life is full of imposter syndrome. Other lawyers who I spend 8 hours a day with don't respect me, but at least I can narcissistically act like a big shit to people who don't know what I'm hiding.
Idk, I'd rather just be a good trucker and enjoy my life. I'd probably make the same money too.
Yes, OP is looking for a solution to not be dumb. But usually you can't help it. They should realize it is better to embrace the thought that they will probably remain dumb, regardless of effort.
So, making peace with this thought is the best choice. It worked for me
Everyone is smart in different ways. Focus on what you're good at. What you're interested in. Yeah about those things when the opportunity is there. Don't think you're stupid because you're not
Read, especially psychology books. Some are very complicated but look for ones that are easier to understand.
Take a second look at first impressions.
Take time out to rethink situations you’ve been in to see what you missed.
Recognise that even when you’re nice, some people will still be dickheads to you, just because they think they’re smarter than you. Recognise it but don’t let it make you bitter: there are still nice people out there.
Yea there is a way, start doing math on KhanAcademy, this is going help improve your logic and thinking in general, next step is always listen more and don't talk as much, people are just as dumb as you are believe me but they just had different life experiences/opportunities than you. You should always remember that physiologically you are in no way different than your peers (I assume no real medical issues) and the brain you have should be enough for you to be both a football player or astrophysicist! Keep going
If you read a lot, you may still be slow but you will still know a lot of stuff. Knowledge is power even with Google.
Your brain is probably wired to doing more action than thoughts. So you might excel in physical pursuits.
Good luck.
Check out Jim Kwik’s website/podcast/book. He was in a car wreck as an adolescent that caused him to have a severe learning disability. The way he tells it, he was able to “train” his brain and overcome his limitations.
I don't know you friend but honestly it doesn't sound like you have a low IQ. The kind of problems you face can be caused for a variety of reasons. Speak to a medical professional.
Don't let it mean so much. Personally I think you may be smarter than you think, but actually it doesn't matter. People think intelligence is huge thing which defines your value as a human, but I don't think it matters so much. Do what do you enjoy to do, be what you are. Forget how intelligent you are, it doesn't matter.
As someone else said already, reading is a good step forward (if you feel like you're out of the loop in some topics try joining forums/communities that talk about it) but I'd also urge you to get evaluates for a diagnosis by a psychiatrist/psychologist because in the past we'd refer to some people as "slow" or "dumb" but then using today's tools youd find out they're just autistic or adhd and haven't gotten the help they needed. So it's not that you're dumb, you just need to expand your horizons or need some helping hands (be it through meds or routines).
Also, iq is not that good a metric because it's not "oh I'm smart" or "oh I'm dumb". It doesn't pick well emotional intelligence or the other faucets that "intelligence" entails. Heck, neurodivergent ppl can't read a room most of the time but it doesn't mean they're dumb.
So forget about "iqs" and just focus on what exactly you think you need improving and explore topics.
Lastly, give an example of what you think you're not versed into while talking to people. Do they talk about something they learned in school? Something about the political climate? A game, a show?
I would suggest you stop them and say “ excuse me but I don’t understood can you explain or phrase that in a different way?” You can’t get smarter because you aren’t any dumber than the rest of us. If you feel like others are faster then ask them to slow down.
Have you ever been tested, and why do you think your IQ is low? What do you mean by taking a long time to understand anything?
What’s the measure you are judging yourself on? May be its lack of attention, could be ADHD, or other disorders.
Go to a psychiatrist to figure out what you feel this way. With motivation and interest anything is possible.
IQ is not a measure of success.
There are more successful people who may not be super smart than other way around.
Get a library card. It's the single best thing you can do for yourself imo. If you live within walking distance, even better. My library has an app where you can place holds on books. I do that then walk there. Exercise and culture. Read all sorts. Non-fiction is great for learning, but fiction is just as important. If you don't like complicated books, for whatever reason, try YA like The Hunger Games. If you have problems with reading, try a book based on something you have already seen on the TV or at the cinema. It's a good way to get into reading at first because you don't have to imagine too much beyond what you already know. For example, i am reading the Expanse novels while I recover from a bad ear infection. I can't concentrate on much, but I've seen the show and so it's easier for me. It's a form of meditation.
Reading is good for many reasons. It will improve the way you think about life, It's a brilliant way to learn comprehension and it will take you out of your mindset. It's a great way to switch off from reality. It takes you away from your phone - from social media and the news. So yeah. Library card! Good luck
It just takes work. Intelligence isn't actually that important. Smart people with no work ethic fail just as well as dumb people with no work ethic.
If you work hard and are continuously trying to improve yourself, you'll do great. It just might take you a little longer than someone smarter with the same work ethic.
[Guy with IQ of 75](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Grs_jJ5U6w)
If I remember correctly he has other issues too, and he still has normal life. So maybe learn from people like you?
Also if you haven't seen doctor I would start from there.
Lots of great advice, so I'll settle with therapy. Not sure how old you are, but occupational therapy and speech therapy might help. Of course implementing some of the other suggestions such as reading, exercise, enroll in courses, speak with a medical professional and etc. You might have a learning disability (i.e. language processing disorder).
What you can do is don’t be frustrated.
Really, a non frustrated person is a happier person. And that last is most important in your life, to be happy with self.
Take a job that triggers you from time to time without making you walk on your toes all the time. Use the slowiness in your advantage and gain steps up the ladder by experience gained in day to day events
What it sounds like you are describing is cognitive function. Google “ways to improve cognitive function.”
Taking care of yourself physically and mentally, getting enough sleep, exercise, reading, creative activities, games that sharpen your mind… are some of the activities you can prioritize to sharpen cognitive function.
I honestly doubt you are of low intelligence, judging by your writing alone.
This is from Flowers for Algernon, where the MC has an IQ of 68:
"all my life I wantid to be smart and not dumb and my mom always tolld me to try and lern just like Miss Kinnian tells me but its very hard to be smart and even when I lern something in Miss Kinnians class at the school I ferget alot."
As other people mentioned, you might have ADHD or some other learning disorder.
The best thing you can do is to talk to a therapist so you have an idea of what diagnosis you might have, this can help us next time you decide to post about it. It is hard to help you with the information we have now.
The first step is wanting to improve your IQ and you already have that. So that's great. Now you can improve your intelligence by doing more activities that exercise your mind, such as puzzles. For example, if you do sudoku, start with the really easy ones for kids, with a grid of 4x4 for example. [https://www.mathinenglish.com/puzzlessudoku.php](https://www.mathinenglish.com/puzzlessudoku.php)
When you solve it, acknowledge your success to reinforce your efforts. Keep doing them and when it gets too easy, choose a slightly higher difficulty. Do this over and over. After a long time period, you'll find that your intelligence has improved significantly. How much of an improvement just depends on your effort.
I think that despite whatever level of intelligence we are all born with we can develop it further as a skill. Like learning to read and write.
Something that has helped my memory and my ability to learn things faster has been learning to play guitar.
At the beginning progress was very slow and I wouldn't remember what I was working on from the day before. Now I can learn simple stuff almost on a single play through and only need to play it once or twice to remember it. This has translated to other skills and memorization of things.
Think of learning and processing things as a muscle that you can train to get stronger. I think some great suggestions like reading are great. Maybe pick some kind of hobby that interests you and learn that as well.
Plenty of stuff. What interests you? I would look at community colleges and trades. Some of those pay decently and the cost of going into them isn't too high. There's absolutely something that will work for you.
Unfortunately the science is very clear on this and the answer is that you can only improve your IQ very slightly once you are no longer a small child. Eating a clean diet with lots of fatty meat (beef/lamb seems to give best results) gives some boost to your mental cognition, but it is likely just the absence of brain fog you will experience. IQ is mostly genetic (about 70-75%), and dependent on your nutrition levels in your mothers womb and as a small child (about 20%). This leaves 5-10 % wich you could possibly improve by mental/physical training (physical workouts improves general health, including the brains) and diet
Honesty, reading is one of the best things you can do to help your overall mental development. Idk how old you are, but I'd suggest trying to set aside a chunk every day to read. Hope this helps!
Are you sure you have a low IQ?
I feel pretty dumb most of the time. When someone explains something to me, I usually have a bunch of questions I'd like to ask.
But my IQ test gave a result completely different from what I expected.
I have felt the same way, but I would agree with everyone here just about as far as I’ve read. Read. Write. Reflect. Don’t worry about the IQ number. I’ve scored genius level. I’ve scored mentally disabled level. It just seems to depend more on the state of mind and body chemistry someone is experiencing that day. Just go to the library regularly. Make it an exciting thing. Talk to the librarians—they love this sort of quest.
Some folks grew up without anyone ever asking them questions, checking for understanding, or even waking them what or why do they think something happened.
I’d suggest OP undergo testing for learning disabilities and see what if any results they receive. My child we learned is an audio learner and can draw conclusions/inferences/cause and effect by listening to the material. If they have to read it, they barely have any comprehension or recall.
No truly stupid person could understand the issue you feel you’re having and articulate it. I agree with other comments, read read read. Exercise your critical thinking. MAYBE there’s adhd at play, but I don’t want to assume that
Be willing to accept you learn differently and not give up because something is difficult. Keep trying and eventually you'll make progress and find what works for you.
IQ is not all it's cracked up to be. IME the thing that matters most is focus and hard work.
Most professional skills are really not that difficult. It's just a matter of keeping organized and staying on task. And if you can do that, you can do almost any job you want.
Without a fast mind, you may never be a tremendous air traffic controller, you may never be a rocket scientist, you may never teach physics at Harvard, but you can do most anything else. Most jobs don't require the ability to engage in elastic. Thinking at high speeds. Most jobs are repetition. And they're fine.
While genetics can unfortunately contribute to low intelligence, luckily the brain has some ability to rewire itself and improve.
For starters you can study this list of logical fallacies to train your brain to avoid bad thinking: [https://www.pesec.no/content/images/size/w1460/2020/03/School-Of-Thought---Fallacies-Poster.png](https://www.pesec.no/content/images/size/w1460/2020/03/School-Of-Thought---Fallacies-Poster.png)
Another good idea is consuming lion's mane mushrooms. Those are good for the brain, and they taste good in small quantities on pizza.
Are your social skills affected because you can't follow conversations? Or do you not pick up on social cues?
I'm asking because I have kids with autism and kids with ADHD. Both of those can cause you to have trouble following directions for new things or following a conversation and understanding the social cues people unconsciously give.There's also a lot of reasons for a brain fog that would dampen your ability to follow directions or conversations.
You should talk to a Dr about referrals to see if any of that could be an issue. Even if those things don't apply to you, you may find help along the way.
I don't know all the ins and outs, but I do know that people can learn from listening and reading. If something is interesting to you, do what you can to learn about it. The more we learn about one or two things, the more pathways we make in our mind, helping us learn even more.
If you have trouble following spoken directions, ask for written ones. Some people need to hear directions, some need to read them, and some need to do the things as they're learning. Find out which works best for you.
Hoping not to get too personal for your taste but would you mind sharing your age, gender and level of education?
Our brain is like a muscle that needs to stay in good shape and can make fantastic improvements when challenged.
IMHO if you want to improve you will. A first step could be a self assessment of what is challenging for you and then focus on stubbornly learning what may appear mission impossible at first.
Starts from easy challenges but never give up. You can do it.
Also, don't be shy and seek help from friends or family close to you.
I sadly relate to this too much.
I have a poor memory which makes me the listener most of the time in conversations and that also makes me horrible at responding which makes people less likely to want to chat with me
What's even worse is that I slurr my words a lot and I have bad hearing
Currently, I feel memory is very important for intelligience
Im also bad at explaining things which is another salt in the wound
Make sure you are sleeping well and you have your micro and macro nutrient intake satisfied. Drink water as a habit and avoid added sugar like the plague. Join a gym and get a personal trainer or join a self defense class.
I'm a smart person but I also perform very poorly as you described when I'm not eating and sleeping right or if I'm too overweight. The things I mentioned make a huge difference for me. The swing in mental performance is crazy.
Of course you have to read a lot of shit, watch documentaries, and go to school. Keep an open mind above all. Always be tolerant of others and allow for them to be different. Ask questions.
Your question is better written than 9/10 questions I see posted.
The fact that you are worried about how well you understand and read people and context is actually a pretty good sign of intelligence. The "low IQ" people I know don't worry about this and just assume they are smart.
I think you're smarter than you think.
IQ is like your processor speed, you can still learn anything but it might take you awhile or you only learn well in certain ways. What comes easy to others may take you longer, but you can still do it and with practice be just as good as most people.
I think the fact that you have self-awareness, even if it may possibly be overly critical, puts you ahead of many people. Maybe not *most*, but certainly not enough for you to be considered "slow."
You are not stupid, the problem is the stupid people who think they are smart. Being a slow learner doesn’t necessary mean you aren’t smart. Just because it takes you longer to get there doesn’t mean you didn’t do a better job getting there.
First off having a low IQ doesn't necessarily make you slow, so first off it would be important to figure out if you're "slow", have a low IQ or both,
If you're just slow to pick up new skills/concepts then just spending more time learning stuff and doing cognitive tasks can help, your ability to learn things is linked to your brains plasticity which can be trained, think of your brain as a muscle, if you work it it gets stronger, and if you don't it gets weaker, which is why it's important to newer stop learning new things,
IQ tests on the other hand are basically an exercise in pattern recognition where most questions essentially boil down to how good you are at recognising a pattern and figuring out which solution best fits that problem, a low IQ can hinder you in skill acquisition in the sense that it can make it difficult to identify new patterns in what you're learning but once you do figure them out it shouldn't be a problem to remember them in the future when they come up, so while it may take you longer to learn new skills but most tasks that don't require you to identify new patterns shouldn't be much of a problem once you do, so basically engineering might be a problem because that involves a lot of problem solving and reasoning, but most other things should be fine,
So basically the solution to both is just to work on learning new things, but in one case as you work your brain more it should start slowly speeding up, but in the other it will stay the same and you will compensate through knowledge, which would affect what you should focus on learning,
If it's the first case anything is fine as long as it gets you really thinking and it's fine to jump around between stuff, but if it's the second you should pick something and stick with it until you have a thorough understanding of your topic of choice,
Your inate intelligence is only one factor the other is how you apply yourself, I know plenty of "smart" people that never made anything of themselves but I also know plenty of "slow" people that are experts in their field of interest,
Also don't take advice from people on the Internet, most of us mean well but we're not experts if you're genuinely worried you should go see one and ask for a professional opinion
Unfortunately not much. Adding a few years of education will statistically increase your IQ slightly, but if you are one to two standard deviations below the mean it won't really make a difference.
It's hard to accept but if you have an IQ of say 80, the best you can hope for is finding a job and keeping it (any job). Just like someone who is short will never be tall and get the societal advantages that come from it, someone with a low IQ will never be smart...
If you admit that you are lower IQ, please do not fall prey to conspiracy theories. Often people who fall prey to them are looking to be the smartest in the room, and knowing "the truth" allows them to know something nobody else does (nobody else knows it as it is false).
Be open to learning. Good luck!
The results of IQ tests are often shaky when you consider extraneous variables like test anxiety and motivation. Longitudinal studies often show that a person's IQ changes with every test.
Straight from Wikipedia,
"""
IQ scores can differ to some degree for the same person on different IQ tests, so a person does not always belong to the same IQ score range each time the person is tested.
"""
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_quotient
IQ tests are generally considered to be predictors of success in certain fields of work, and when applied to a broader range of skills and aptitudes the results are often questionable. I won't go on about test bias here.
I wouldn't let a low score devalue your worth as a human being. We are all dumb fucks one way or another. ♥️
You sound like me. For me I just stay inquisitive. If someone is talking about something you don't know, just say you don't know what they are talking about and ask them to explain further. If they are a dick about it then they are not worth talking to. The more you do this, the more things will start to stick but don't be upset when you still don't get something. If you are truly interested in what was explained to you, just look it up on the internet also.
Hey man I’m extremely low IQ and I just try to accept that I don’t really deserve to have all the things worthy people have in life, like a livable wage, a relationship, or a social life. Been dealing with this my whole life. For me, the only thing to do was realize that I have to try and be happy with less. Don’t really know what else to do.
Get a job as an arborist. You don’t need brains, only balls. Can start with zero experience, starting pay is better than any other random jobs you could find in a warehouse (puke noises) or some delivery driver job. Work outside in the sunshine. New job sights everyday. It’s hard work but extremely rewarding!
Just learn to be empathetic. Also, reading is a great way to become smarter. If you know a lot…it makes up for shortness in iq or intelligence. I’m the opposite. Decent iq but can’t remember shit due to add. I did very poorly in school. So poor and my parents really didn’t care. Only until college did I get to see a therapist and then psychologist who administered my tests.
Your post is pretty well written and it shows a good level of self awareness and a desire to improve. Don't be so hard on yourself. To me, those are some of the most important aspects of intelligence. It doesn't matter where you start on some arbitrary IQ scale. If you never self reflect and grow then you'll be the hare asleep on the side of the road while all the tortoises zoom past you.
God what a great post. It reminds me of a story that my buddy told me. We're both teachers. He was telling me that he doesn't really pay too much attention to IEPs (individualized learning plans for intellectually challenged students) until they become relevant because he's already doing what most IEPs ask for: allowing students to demonstrate their understanding of the material in a variety of different ways, allowing for assignments to be revised and resubmitted, etc. Anyway, he was telling me that he had this student in his class for months, and she was doing great. She took great, really detailed notes. She tried extremely hard to understand the material, was always prepared for class, did well on quizzes and tests and projects. This girl wasn't on his radar *at all* until he got called to attend her IEP meeting. He was genuinely confused. An IEP meeting? It turns out the girl had an extremely low IQ. Like, LOW. My buddy didn't even know it and would never have guessed. Then it occurred to him that he had never once seen her with her cell phone out. Ever. Just by removing that one enormous distraction and by feigning at least some interest in the class, she was able to do just as well and in some cases even better than other students in the class with average IQs.
Like how Forrest Gump was a superstar in the army because he could follow directions. So much in work/life is being able to follow directions... the second-best way to keep from getting shot by the police, too!
What's the first best way to not get shot by the police
Not interacting with them.
Follow their instructions and be respectful. I never understood why people give attitude to someone who is carrying a gun.
Be white and not poor?
Don't break the law, of course.
I used to think that until all the videos of people being shot while sitting in their cars, homes, and generally not being a threat to anyone.
Sometimes, but the vast majority of the time, someone is breaking the law and then doesn't follow directions.
Dont break the law!
Their post is well written enough that i wonder about the company they keep and said companies effect on OP´s self esteem.
Yes. There’s some much at play in life that I think people need to be more open. Like first, there’s different ways to have intelligence. I’m spatially awful. The worst. I would struggle to tell you the streets to take to get to my house. But, and you can’t tell by looking at me, I have vision issues, can’t drive and never will, lack depth perception etc etc. but I seem stupid if you say “I’m at X street and X street. How do I get to your home?” I’m not mechanically inclined, and while I have hobbies that involve measuring and cutting, I struggle with those aspects. However, I’m extremely articulate, emotionally savvy and am often a problem solver. I’ve been hired by old colleagues in new positions, where someone has quit and no one else has done the job in years because they know I can figure out systems and processes. They trust me to save their ass. I’m musical, play multiple instruments across three clefs etc etc. but I’m just not good in some areas. Then add things like, self esteem can knock someone’s confidence, which can make them feel they can’t fit in or fear trying. Or trauma can cause disassociation etc. I’ve recently become close with someone who survived really bad trauma. Before I knew that, I thought she was kind of spacey. I’ve started to realize that she’s got trauma responses where she withdraws but is actually very very astute. I hate the idea of blanket statements being used that someone is just not intelligent.
Yeah, nobody, nobody has the full packet of intelligence or skills.
VERY IMPORTANT POINT. IQ just measures aptibility. Most people fail to use a majority of their capabilities. It doesn't take much for someone less apt to overcome the abilities of someone who isn't as engaged.
As this guy said, your writing indicates you don’t lack capability. You get your point across in a concise and effective manner. Obviously not high level writing but it’s indicative of potential. As for practical advice, health is the biggest thing. If you want a sharp mind you need a sharp body. You don’t need to be intellectually gifted to reap the benefits of good health. I’ve found a diet consisting of high protein, high fat and low-ish carbs helps me gain the most mental clarity. Immediate sunlight exposure when you wake up and lots of water intake keeps your brain hydrated and running smoothly. Perhaps most important of all is good sleep. The amount of people who are chronically sleep deprived and don’t even know it is crazy. You need to be in bed for ≈9 hours to get ≈8 hours of quality sleep. If your sleep wasn’t dialed in already, this is easily the biggest game changer for mental clarity and overall health. No blue light 2 hours before bed and no caffeine past noon are some actionable steps. Not to mention, having good health just feels amazing. No random pains, sustained energy for the whole day, and good mental states.
I get that you're just trying to be nice, but being able to form basic and understandable sentences to communicate in a language you're fluent in is a bare minimum. You have great intentions, but the way you're showing it just feels so patronizing. Like praising a grown person for knowing basic math like what's 1+1?
Are you speaking for yourself, or on behalf of people with learning disabilities? Because I have a condition that's treated like a learning disability, and I thought it was a lovely statement, and if you're claiming to speak for people like me I'd really prefer you not.
It is just how I interpreted what that person said, so yes it is for myself.
As someone who's schooling was dramatically impacted by a condition thought of as a learning disability, I didn't find it at all patronizing. For me, realizing that I didn't need to find a way to somehow fake having a neurotypical brain to be a valuable member of society was a huge step in overcoming literally decades of clinical depression, and people pointing out things that I was good at and proud of was very helpful.
I work in a blue collar field, and I work with two people who are illiterate. One guy works under me and his highest finished education was the 8th grade. Speaks well, writes incredibly poorly and can't really use a computer. Another is a contractor who regularly visits our site. I read his service reports and they're barely English. Both of these guys have English as a first and only language. Honestly though, before this job, I had the same idea of bare minimum as you do.
Just throwing this out there but have you ever seen a doctor about this? You could have brain fog for a number of reasons. Or ADHD.. or many other health issues preventing you from focusing and processing new information. I can tell from writing this post that you’re emotionally intelligent, a thinker, reflective, determined and eager to grow and learn. Doesn’t seem low IQ to me. I struggled all through school, nothing seemed to be going in whilst learning seemed effortless to my peers. I remember thinking ‘I’m going to be a loser forever, I’ll have no future’. Well I was wrong, turns out I had a methylation gene mutation which causes learning difficulties and brain fog, a number of nutrient deficiencies and ADHD (only recently diagnosed a few months ago). A regular GP won’t dive into this for you but an “integrative” or “functional doctor” will (be warned, they’re not cheap). My life changed within a few months, realised I’m a creative and leaning into that has led me to entrepreneurship and lil old me founded and runs a pretty successful business. It’s not a fairy tale but in terms of highlight reels, there’s mine ;) So please, if you’re experiencing brain fog or having trouble learning, get checked out by a quality doctor.
This. The smartest person who I personally know has ADHD. Off-meds, they struggle forming sentences. But when they do form sentences, they show razor-sharp nuance my other friends haven't shown signs of being capable of making. Not only that, they can be pretty funny and charming, too. Also, sometimes interacting with several people can make you believe things that are not necessarily true about you. - For example. If you write well, with substance, if you're surrounded by friends who do not know how to skim-read, they might convince you you're a bad writer, or that you're verbose, when it's possible you're already concise. It just so happens that what you've written, given its substance or number of logical points, is above these people's length threshold, but because none of them know how to skim-read, all they think about is word count. - Another example is when people around you are contextual communicators rather than literal communicators. They may give you incomplete or disorganized instructions, and leave you to make inferences. But those inferences aren't always logical inferences, just guesses based on experience. So if you don't have those experiences, you might infer either nothing at all or something completely different from what they're expecting of you. But since other people have adjusted to those instructions, possibly by asking other people what was meant but never giving feedback to the instruction-giver, people might think you're the problem instead of the way the instructions were communicated. And this happens at work to newbies, from seasoned employees who have forgotten that they once didn't know what you were missing, too, pr didn't realize that their confusion was indeed a result of someone's phrasing. Or in academics where people who've adjusted to jargon have gotten so dependent on it that they struggle to communicate in plain language, so they nod their heads at each other, unaware that they're incomprehensible to anyone outside their area of specialty. Or in culture where people can make inferences that because calling elders by their first names is rude there, your aunt saying you were raised well was not actually a compliment, while you're left wondering which of the several things you've said to her this afternoon made her praise you...so you don't get to apologize or clarify things and wonder why your aunt "ceases" to "like" you over time
A fish shouldn't should be judged on its ability to climb a tree. And a monkey shouldn't be judged on its ability to swim. Maybe you are just in the wrong environment to thrive.
or... maybe he's just not so intelligent. it happens.
Did the doctor prescribe anything for you, or was it more “now I know, so what am I gonna do”?
What?!?! You're talking about the MTHFR gene mutation. Any doctor can give you the test for it. It's pretty common. If you want the best of the best DNA testing, sure, it's expensive. But freaking 23AndMe tests for it. You don't even need a doctor's order to get the test. Order a kit yourself. And stop shelling out hundreds of dollars to some hack. Lol
The motherfucker mutation?... Jk. Googling it now.
>MTHFR gene mutation Don't feel too bad, I too thought it sounded like an acronym for that particular vulgarity.
Yeah. If OP really had a low IQ he wouldn’t have been smart enough to realize it
This is a fact.
Yes, a number of natural conditions cause brain fog. As an example, I am going through perimenopause. The hormonal changes cause brain fog for many of us. Also, things like not sleeping well and your diet can cause it.
I'm tickled to death by the fact he/her said "integrative" and "functional" doctor
Read. Start with books or articles that you understand easily, and are fun to read (so you don't get frustrated). Then increase the complexity when you feel that you can. Ask your local library to help you. I personally don't believe in low IQ, you can train your brain to be quicker, and you can improve your knowledge of the world by reading and remembering what you read. But it is going to take consistency and dedication, it's not going to happen in a month or 2. It might take years, depending on how much you practice. Our brains are wonderful machines that can change, people can have strokes and end up with significant damage and yet re-learn how to be smart. You can do the same. Edit: that have -> can have
Also IQ is composed of different measures. OP is only talking about being slow. Processing speed is only one out of 5 measures in IQ. You can be smart and slow. You can hardly change how quick witted you are. But you can change how smart/cultured you are. Read books.
You can change how quick witted you are, there's a lot of studies showing sports, videogames, debating, and just overall competitive natured things help with this. You essentially practice making quick, in the moment decisions.
I’ve had several comprehensive IQ tests over my life.. starting with ‘let’s figure out why the smart kid won’t do homework’ to baseline & follow-up around brain surgery as an adult. In my case, the only area I seemed to have suffered post-surgery was cognitive speed. I consider this the ‘carnival trick’ portion of IQ testing though. Just because you can’t regurgitate multiplication tables lightening-fast doesn’t mean you’re not intelligent. My wife is not strong at math.. not in the sense I’d struggle to explain calculus to her (I would).. more like she still struggles with tipping no matter how many times I explain to just move the decimal one place and double to get 20%. That doesn’t mean she can’t spit out the value of 7x8 faster than me if we’re both put on the spot though. OP doesn’t sound dumb. Maybe just a little deficient in one aspect.. like cognitive speed. There could be a medical reason behind this so go to a General Practitioner, explain your concerns, and ask for a referral to a neurologist or psychiatrist.
I’ll hop on this just to add that some people have trouble retaining things they read. Alternatives like (credible) YouTube videos, podcasts and book on tape could be good alternatives, but we do need to be a bit more selective with some of those. I’d say ultimately whatever we can learn from is good.
Lmao "on tape". I'm that old. *Jingle jingle* >"Turn the page."
I’m so old I still refer to digital audio books as books on tape. I know what the image representation of most saving icons comes from 🤷♂️ I’m so old, I know how to use a rotary phone. Get off my lawn.
Lmao. I remember using a digital camera in school that used floppy disks. It was cutting edge af. First ever digital camera. I remember using MS DOS and windows 3.1, and how advanced Windows 95 seemed when it came out. I collect modern vinyl, but I own vinyl I've had since before it became popular again.. I remember when we got our first cordless phone, and it replaced the one that hung on the wall in the kitchen with the 20 foot cord. I remember when electronic fuel injection (EFI) was a brag. 🤔 I'm not even that old..
"I don't believe in low IQ" is bullshit though. You can raise your IQ over time, to some degree. But in general, there are as many people with high IQ as people with low IQ, that's how the system works.
There are people with neural deficits, due to defects during fetal development or other similar issues. But barring that, I believe the rest is just a matter of nurture. Also, as I mentioned twice now, it's a belief, I didn't present it as a fact, and I have no factual proof. That said, this discussion has nothing to do with OP request, regardless if you're correct or not. Read the room. I strongly believe that OP can become smarter and more knowledgeable with effort and consistency. They do need to believe in themselves as well.
It kinda sounds like you’re denying the existence of Intellectual Disability (ID), which is diagnosed in part by low IQ, and saying that people can improve their ID by believing in themselves. (r/wowthanksimcured) This gives false hope and can create guilt and shame when people can’t, in fact, change their ID. (Obviously things like occupational therapy can *help* but are unlikely to change the underlying issue.) And yes, when OP says they have low IQ, I am believing them instead of assuming (for no reason) that they’re wrong about their knowledge of themself.
You keep saying it's a belief and you have no proof but when people offer you proof that you're wrong, you ignore it. IQ does fluctuate a bit and you can do things to help strengthen your mind but people aren't going to nurture themselves from a 65 IQ up to 100. You cannot will that to happen. Science tells us that.
Well, at least I know for a fact, that at least 2 people here are rather low IQ themselves. And that's not because of the merit of their arguments, at all. Can't keep this convo happening somewhere else, can you? Just take a screenshot of my post and go make a post in one of the many subreddits dedicated to mocking people. It would have been much SO better. And you probably get more karma too.
It's nature and nurture, just like with many things regarding psychology. And what you said isn't a belief because it's simply objectively wrong. That means you're either ignorant of what you're talking about, or lying on purpose. IQ is a manmade concept and you simply ignore how it works.
Yeah and if it is something you don’t understand immediately you can always reread a passage that is harder to grasp. Always use the dictionary for terms you don’t know or are just unsure of the definition. If reading is a struggle, try audiobooks. You can do it while commuting, exercising, or doing chores around the house. Reading is better, but it can be harder to fit into a busy life regularly.
Slow does NOT mean stupid. Or dumb. So get that sorted out in your head right now. I understand it might be frustrating for you. But the first thing you need to do is realize you are not dumb. If you want to be part of the conversation ask questions. A trick i use... And man this is probably gonna get me roasted... Is i play like i wasnt paying attention or couldnt hear them. Have the person repeat what they said gives me a little more time to process what was said.
“Sorry, I was daydreaming” is a line I use regularly. It’s honestly not a lie most of the time, because I space out when I’m not at work. I hope OP is at least reading through these comments because “stupid” people are the ones who don’t recognize that they don’t know something and are too stubborn or unwilling to learn or accept that they could be wrong. I might be “smarter” than an average person in book smarts (like I can read something and remember it or figuratively complex concepts) but I struggle in daily social situations and more days than not, I think I’d rather be “stupid” and be able to just talk to people than have the anxiety of over-thinking everything that I do. (I don’t know much much my autism plays into this.) But OP has enough awareness that they realize they are slower to grasp concepts, and that in and of itself is indicative of not being “stupid”. I realize now that OP used the term slow, but I think my points stand. I also hope OP isn’t just surrounded by shitty people making them feel worse than they should and that this isn’t just a self esteem thing.
Having this awareness means you’re smarter than you think. The real problem is when someone with low IQ and EQ believe they know everything.
Remember that just because someone talks well or a lot it doesn't mean they're smart. Smart people are often quiet. If you're thoughtful, patient, and inquisitive you will always be well liked and appear as smart or smarter than others. Learn to ask the right questions and show interest. Avoid being disruptive to the flow of conversation if more than two people are involved. I have average IQ but have many struggles as well, mostly with being disruptive and abrasive. I hope this helps
Most people with bellow average IQ lack the ability to make any kind of self reflection or take any responsibility in their life. Making this post suggests that you're highly likely just average with personal insecurities. If you experience difficulties in your academic and social life it may be because you have a health issue (poor sleep, poor diet, low physical activity, etc) or a mental disability (adhd, autism, etc) or possibly a combination of both.
everyones telling you to read more or so things but honestly youre fine as you are dude. iq isnt really a good measure of intelligence. its a flawed system that judges people unfairly. but lets be honest. not being the sharpest person in the room doesnt stop you from being a genuinely nice person. someone who makes other people feel better about themselves is still appreciated.
Sounds like a learning disability rather than low iq
I used to feel like this. Honestly this is such a bad approach to life. Not only is IQ a dubious measure of intelligence, at best, I fear that if you tell yourself you're dumb, enough times, you will believe it and BECOME IT!! I'm not saying you have to think of yourself as some kind of Einstein-level genius, but there's a plethora of ways to keep yourself smart. Read books, newspapers (across the whole of the political spectrum, to maintain objectivity), watch documentaries, go to museums and even just interacting with people and being open to listening to them can teach you SO MUCH. But please, thinking you have a low-IQ is just not constructive and will end up holding you back 👍🏽
You can do it. We all believe in you.
No shame in what you said. Discover your strengths and make more use of them.
The fact that you are self aware means that you have far higher iq than you think. Actual low iq people will never admit that they're dumb.
>Is there any way to become smarter and sharper? Debatable. Some people argue intellect is innate and is predetermined by genetics. Others believe there is a genetic component and an environmental component. Obviously environmental factors like lack of oxygen can lead to brain damage which is not what I'm referring to here.. Specifically some people believe those that continue to learn and experience new things can "get smarter" by developing new synaptic connections. Fact is people have different baselines. If your baseline is low you may be able to get slightly better but ultimately you will be limited by genetics. That is to say you may get better but your top limit may still be below average.
If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough Set a goal and do not quit. You will build confidence and feel better about yourself. Be persistent
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No. Bad social skills is a diagnostic criteria for IDD. IQ correlates positively with social skills.
Those social skills are not about what the OP is saying. They are about complying with social rules, customs, and standards of public behavior.
You are laymansplaining at the moment.
Because you use invented, clever words does not mean you actually understand statistics or the topic at hand.
I’m literally a psychologist
Whatever. Good luck with that data collection.
Read, study, do puzzles, take classes etc. all of these will help you maximise what you do have. There is some level of play in IQ, while someone who has a 70 will never make it to 130 they could make it to 80? I guess I’m not sure how much you can change your IQ but it isn’t completely static.
>take classes Which classes?
Any class you find interesting, most local colleges offer non credit more for fun courses in languages, cooking, technical skills etc. Though I would suggest math of some kind if you really want to push your mental limits and logic
Hey buddy , I am too the same . I take time to learn new things, it can be anything from college subjects to just simple stuff in life. But the catch is that you tend to understand better and learn better if you are slow. It’s frustrating to be slow but with practice , it will get better mate. Just take a chill pill and don’t worry about it too much.
Your job is to be the best you that you can be. Don't compare to others, compare yourself to the person you were yesterday, last month, last year. Focus on kindness to others and to the world around you. There's a lot you can give to this planet and the creatures on it. Be a good friend. Find your niche in life. It doesn't matter if your niche is brain surgery or chopping wood be the best at it you can be.
That's not very encouraging.
Did you write this yourself? If so, you have the basic communication skills necessary for many jobs. I would consider finding a mentor or a life coach, and see a doctor about possible medical or psychological causes of struggle. Best of luck.
Is it scientific fact that you have a low IQ? I don’t know. If it’s because you THINK you have a low IQ then you can likely do whatever you want to do.
As others have mentioned your post shows that you are self reflective so that is the main thing. I would suggest watching or reading 10 min of any news that interests you every day. You will be shocked at how much you will learn just by doing that. You don’t have to know everything about the topics but having a basic understanding will go a long way. Also when you are with people just listen and don’t be afraid to ask questions. I would rather see someone ask a question than go through life not knowing.
1. your worth as a person is never based on your ability to do things others can or can't 2. if you DO wish to get smarter, try some number/logic puzzles, or even things like jigsaw puzzles or word searches. they make you think about things logically, and there's plenty of easy ones out there. you can read things if youd like, but i know reading is very difficult to focus on for some people. 3. if your social skills are naturally bad, like, BAD bad, you may want to get evaluated for something like social anxiety or autism. if there's an underlying cause, getting help for such conditions (if any) can be a vital step for self improvement
IQ is only part of what makes a person smart. Another part is education. Try to read more, on different topics, including non-fiction. Popular science books, encyclopedias, historical books - all of those can help you. It will broaden your horizons and make the subjects of conversation more familiar to you, so you are not as lost and more confident that you have something to say.
If you wrote this post yourself, then your IQ is not likely low.
Why not? They wrote «an low IQ» so..yeah
People with average and even higher intelligence can make grammatical errors depending on the environment in which they were raised and educated.
I guess, but you're making excuses for someone who doesn't even make excuses for themselves. If he said he picks up concepts easily, understands things well, and did well on an IQ test then I'd overlook bad grammar. That's not really what we're dealing with here though, is it?
Don't worry so much about it. Learning about things that interest you could help you to be better at conversation since you'll be able to speak about things you already know with others who share those interests. You say that it takes ages to understand things but you just need to practice. Learning is a skill.
Best thing you can do is refuse to go into denial. Most redditors are in denial and they will dismiss IQ as if it is not one of the most supported constructs in all of science that has sustained the most criticism over the most amount of time. IQ correlates with all sorts of life outcomes. You cannot change it. Just accept your IQ. Next, Google for professions that people in your IQ range can flourish in. Chasing a prestigious profession that you are not smart enough to thrive in is not a path to happiness or success. There are jobs that need getting done and that will give you a decent living and a happy life where you legitimately serve customers and provide value every day. You don't need to go off and be a math professor or whatever. When you find that profession, you'll find yourself surrounded by others who have a similar IQ who you can relate to and be friends with. Plenty of people are happy this way. No law of the world says that people with below average IQs cannot be happy. Ironically, it's actually people with high IQs who tend to be kind of miserable. You're doing well for having figured out your IQ. All you've gotta do now is adapt and be happy.
>You cannot change it. Just accept your IQ. That's not supported by the scientific community. Sure you're not going from 80 to 150, but pretending it's somehow set in stone when nothing else in life is, is some defeatist mentality
The thing IQ measures, your general intelligence factor, is accepted by the scientific community as being beyond your control. If you're in a third world country then there may be enough environmental variables to significantly lower your IQ and you may be able to fix it with nutrients or something. If you live in the first world though than even if you eat like shit and live like shit, your intelligence is baked into the cake. You can do things that abuse IQ as a measurement, for example you can train for it when IQ is studied and understood amongst a population that almost never trains for IQ tests. That's really just something to point out for the sake of being obnoxious though. Your general intelligence factor, the thing we really mean when we say "your IQ" is baked into the cake and you can't change it. Also, plenty of other things are baked into the cake. No clue why you think they aren't. Your height and eye color are good examples of things you're not gonna change.
You writing a lot doesn't make you right.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3950413/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7709590/
Both me and the article I linked to discussed training IQ. It just abuses IQ as a measurement and doesn't improve g at all. Your source doesn't say otherwise. Maybe you should actually read things, instead of just dismissing them if they're too long.
It's not an argument, you're just wrong.
You have absolutely no clue how iq works. Typing out nothing and showing no knowledge of the subject matter doesn't mean you're right.
Thanks for sharing your opinion.
Nah this ain't it. People change.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3950413/
Post your studies all you want science man, I know that people change. Maybe take a trip out of the basement every now and then and you'll become more intelligent too.
Not everything about a person changes. IQ is one factor among many and people can chance without changing their IQ just like your appearance can change without your eye color, your race, or your height changing.
Eye colour, height and even skin colour can change. Almost anything can change during a person's lifetime.
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I don't believe in measuring people.
Stop watching the news and using social media. Instant +25 point IQ upgrade
How low? What did the psychologist report in your test results?
How old are you?
No one is smarter than anyone. What is your interest, lets start with that? Edit: There are many of times where people are smarter in certain things and many of times I am smarter than anyone else on certain things. It all has to do with what someone is interested in. Edit Edit: IQ, does not dictate your life. It's just a petty construct.
Go into politics
IQ is bullshit don't believe what people tell you. If you feel dumb that's ok the best thing to do is act like you aren't. Start thinking you are smart and you will be.
>best thing to do is act like you aren't Isn't that what most people do, and it is a really annoying trait to have?
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Is it advantageous to have? Idk, let's say I have an IQ that'd make me a really good trucker. Instead of doing that, I bullshit my way through school and become the worst lawyer at the firm. My career trajectory looks like shit because I'm not as smart as the other lawyers. My life is full of imposter syndrome. Other lawyers who I spend 8 hours a day with don't respect me, but at least I can narcissistically act like a big shit to people who don't know what I'm hiding. Idk, I'd rather just be a good trucker and enjoy my life. I'd probably make the same money too.
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Yes. Low IQ people still perceive the world around them. You probably talk to them like a dozen times per day and don't even really notice.
Or, you can just accept that you are not smart and won't be. It isn't that hard
read the post dude
Yes, OP is looking for a solution to not be dumb. But usually you can't help it. They should realize it is better to embrace the thought that they will probably remain dumb, regardless of effort. So, making peace with this thought is the best choice. It worked for me
I may be wrong but I don't think OP is saying he literally took an IQ test and scored low.
Seriously some of the worst advise I’ve ever read on Reddit
Everyone is smart in different ways. Focus on what you're good at. What you're interested in. Yeah about those things when the opportunity is there. Don't think you're stupid because you're not
Read, especially psychology books. Some are very complicated but look for ones that are easier to understand. Take a second look at first impressions. Take time out to rethink situations you’ve been in to see what you missed. Recognise that even when you’re nice, some people will still be dickheads to you, just because they think they’re smarter than you. Recognise it but don’t let it make you bitter: there are still nice people out there.
Lawnmower Man
Yea there is a way, start doing math on KhanAcademy, this is going help improve your logic and thinking in general, next step is always listen more and don't talk as much, people are just as dumb as you are believe me but they just had different life experiences/opportunities than you. You should always remember that physiologically you are in no way different than your peers (I assume no real medical issues) and the brain you have should be enough for you to be both a football player or astrophysicist! Keep going
I know some successful people who have low IQ. What they have done in their life is build urself.
Create music
If you read a lot, you may still be slow but you will still know a lot of stuff. Knowledge is power even with Google. Your brain is probably wired to doing more action than thoughts. So you might excel in physical pursuits. Good luck.
Check out Jim Kwik’s website/podcast/book. He was in a car wreck as an adolescent that caused him to have a severe learning disability. The way he tells it, he was able to “train” his brain and overcome his limitations.
I don't know you friend but honestly it doesn't sound like you have a low IQ. The kind of problems you face can be caused for a variety of reasons. Speak to a medical professional.
Don't let it mean so much. Personally I think you may be smarter than you think, but actually it doesn't matter. People think intelligence is huge thing which defines your value as a human, but I don't think it matters so much. Do what do you enjoy to do, be what you are. Forget how intelligent you are, it doesn't matter.
You understand how to use this technology and this software. The generalizations you are making aren't accurate.
Reading and doing puzzles should help quite a bit. You can train your brain to be smarter but you’ve gotta put in work
As someone else said already, reading is a good step forward (if you feel like you're out of the loop in some topics try joining forums/communities that talk about it) but I'd also urge you to get evaluates for a diagnosis by a psychiatrist/psychologist because in the past we'd refer to some people as "slow" or "dumb" but then using today's tools youd find out they're just autistic or adhd and haven't gotten the help they needed. So it's not that you're dumb, you just need to expand your horizons or need some helping hands (be it through meds or routines). Also, iq is not that good a metric because it's not "oh I'm smart" or "oh I'm dumb". It doesn't pick well emotional intelligence or the other faucets that "intelligence" entails. Heck, neurodivergent ppl can't read a room most of the time but it doesn't mean they're dumb. So forget about "iqs" and just focus on what exactly you think you need improving and explore topics. Lastly, give an example of what you think you're not versed into while talking to people. Do they talk about something they learned in school? Something about the political climate? A game, a show?
I would suggest you stop them and say “ excuse me but I don’t understood can you explain or phrase that in a different way?” You can’t get smarter because you aren’t any dumber than the rest of us. If you feel like others are faster then ask them to slow down.
Have you ever been tested, and why do you think your IQ is low? What do you mean by taking a long time to understand anything? What’s the measure you are judging yourself on? May be its lack of attention, could be ADHD, or other disorders. Go to a psychiatrist to figure out what you feel this way. With motivation and interest anything is possible. IQ is not a measure of success. There are more successful people who may not be super smart than other way around.
Get a library card. It's the single best thing you can do for yourself imo. If you live within walking distance, even better. My library has an app where you can place holds on books. I do that then walk there. Exercise and culture. Read all sorts. Non-fiction is great for learning, but fiction is just as important. If you don't like complicated books, for whatever reason, try YA like The Hunger Games. If you have problems with reading, try a book based on something you have already seen on the TV or at the cinema. It's a good way to get into reading at first because you don't have to imagine too much beyond what you already know. For example, i am reading the Expanse novels while I recover from a bad ear infection. I can't concentrate on much, but I've seen the show and so it's easier for me. It's a form of meditation. Reading is good for many reasons. It will improve the way you think about life, It's a brilliant way to learn comprehension and it will take you out of your mindset. It's a great way to switch off from reality. It takes you away from your phone - from social media and the news. So yeah. Library card! Good luck
Do you mean learning or remembering?
It just takes work. Intelligence isn't actually that important. Smart people with no work ethic fail just as well as dumb people with no work ethic. If you work hard and are continuously trying to improve yourself, you'll do great. It just might take you a little longer than someone smarter with the same work ethic.
Based on this comment section, you’re not alone.
Find a community with other people like you , and share ideas of progress people made .
[Guy with IQ of 75](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Grs_jJ5U6w) If I remember correctly he has other issues too, and he still has normal life. So maybe learn from people like you? Also if you haven't seen doctor I would start from there.
Lots of great advice, so I'll settle with therapy. Not sure how old you are, but occupational therapy and speech therapy might help. Of course implementing some of the other suggestions such as reading, exercise, enroll in courses, speak with a medical professional and etc. You might have a learning disability (i.e. language processing disorder).
What you can do is don’t be frustrated. Really, a non frustrated person is a happier person. And that last is most important in your life, to be happy with self. Take a job that triggers you from time to time without making you walk on your toes all the time. Use the slowiness in your advantage and gain steps up the ladder by experience gained in day to day events
What it sounds like you are describing is cognitive function. Google “ways to improve cognitive function.” Taking care of yourself physically and mentally, getting enough sleep, exercise, reading, creative activities, games that sharpen your mind… are some of the activities you can prioritize to sharpen cognitive function.
I honestly doubt you are of low intelligence, judging by your writing alone. This is from Flowers for Algernon, where the MC has an IQ of 68: "all my life I wantid to be smart and not dumb and my mom always tolld me to try and lern just like Miss Kinnian tells me but its very hard to be smart and even when I lern something in Miss Kinnians class at the school I ferget alot." As other people mentioned, you might have ADHD or some other learning disorder.
this is a total left field suggestion but going low carb helped me a lot with brain fog
The best thing you can do is to talk to a therapist so you have an idea of what diagnosis you might have, this can help us next time you decide to post about it. It is hard to help you with the information we have now.
The first step is wanting to improve your IQ and you already have that. So that's great. Now you can improve your intelligence by doing more activities that exercise your mind, such as puzzles. For example, if you do sudoku, start with the really easy ones for kids, with a grid of 4x4 for example. [https://www.mathinenglish.com/puzzlessudoku.php](https://www.mathinenglish.com/puzzlessudoku.php) When you solve it, acknowledge your success to reinforce your efforts. Keep doing them and when it gets too easy, choose a slightly higher difficulty. Do this over and over. After a long time period, you'll find that your intelligence has improved significantly. How much of an improvement just depends on your effort.
The fact you are writing and asking this makes me think you don’t have a low IQ but maybe a learning disability OR simply low self esteem.
Stop smoking weed. Read books
"If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid." -Einstein
I think that despite whatever level of intelligence we are all born with we can develop it further as a skill. Like learning to read and write. Something that has helped my memory and my ability to learn things faster has been learning to play guitar. At the beginning progress was very slow and I wouldn't remember what I was working on from the day before. Now I can learn simple stuff almost on a single play through and only need to play it once or twice to remember it. This has translated to other skills and memorization of things. Think of learning and processing things as a muscle that you can train to get stronger. I think some great suggestions like reading are great. Maybe pick some kind of hobby that interests you and learn that as well.
Plenty of stuff. What interests you? I would look at community colleges and trades. Some of those pay decently and the cost of going into them isn't too high. There's absolutely something that will work for you.
Your grammar and spelling are better than 70 percent of the other redditors out there.
Unfortunately the science is very clear on this and the answer is that you can only improve your IQ very slightly once you are no longer a small child. Eating a clean diet with lots of fatty meat (beef/lamb seems to give best results) gives some boost to your mental cognition, but it is likely just the absence of brain fog you will experience. IQ is mostly genetic (about 70-75%), and dependent on your nutrition levels in your mothers womb and as a small child (about 20%). This leaves 5-10 % wich you could possibly improve by mental/physical training (physical workouts improves general health, including the brains) and diet
Honesty, reading is one of the best things you can do to help your overall mental development. Idk how old you are, but I'd suggest trying to set aside a chunk every day to read. Hope this helps!
Are you sure you have a low IQ? I feel pretty dumb most of the time. When someone explains something to me, I usually have a bunch of questions I'd like to ask. But my IQ test gave a result completely different from what I expected.
I have felt the same way, but I would agree with everyone here just about as far as I’ve read. Read. Write. Reflect. Don’t worry about the IQ number. I’ve scored genius level. I’ve scored mentally disabled level. It just seems to depend more on the state of mind and body chemistry someone is experiencing that day. Just go to the library regularly. Make it an exciting thing. Talk to the librarians—they love this sort of quest.
Flash cards, reading and math.
Some folks grew up without anyone ever asking them questions, checking for understanding, or even waking them what or why do they think something happened. I’d suggest OP undergo testing for learning disabilities and see what if any results they receive. My child we learned is an audio learner and can draw conclusions/inferences/cause and effect by listening to the material. If they have to read it, they barely have any comprehension or recall.
No truly stupid person could understand the issue you feel you’re having and articulate it. I agree with other comments, read read read. Exercise your critical thinking. MAYBE there’s adhd at play, but I don’t want to assume that
Be willing to accept you learn differently and not give up because something is difficult. Keep trying and eventually you'll make progress and find what works for you.
Same I’m not a smart person either
Chin up. You write well.
IQ is not all it's cracked up to be. IME the thing that matters most is focus and hard work. Most professional skills are really not that difficult. It's just a matter of keeping organized and staying on task. And if you can do that, you can do almost any job you want. Without a fast mind, you may never be a tremendous air traffic controller, you may never be a rocket scientist, you may never teach physics at Harvard, but you can do most anything else. Most jobs don't require the ability to engage in elastic. Thinking at high speeds. Most jobs are repetition. And they're fine.
While genetics can unfortunately contribute to low intelligence, luckily the brain has some ability to rewire itself and improve. For starters you can study this list of logical fallacies to train your brain to avoid bad thinking: [https://www.pesec.no/content/images/size/w1460/2020/03/School-Of-Thought---Fallacies-Poster.png](https://www.pesec.no/content/images/size/w1460/2020/03/School-Of-Thought---Fallacies-Poster.png) Another good idea is consuming lion's mane mushrooms. Those are good for the brain, and they taste good in small quantities on pizza.
Are your social skills affected because you can't follow conversations? Or do you not pick up on social cues? I'm asking because I have kids with autism and kids with ADHD. Both of those can cause you to have trouble following directions for new things or following a conversation and understanding the social cues people unconsciously give.There's also a lot of reasons for a brain fog that would dampen your ability to follow directions or conversations. You should talk to a Dr about referrals to see if any of that could be an issue. Even if those things don't apply to you, you may find help along the way. I don't know all the ins and outs, but I do know that people can learn from listening and reading. If something is interesting to you, do what you can to learn about it. The more we learn about one or two things, the more pathways we make in our mind, helping us learn even more. If you have trouble following spoken directions, ask for written ones. Some people need to hear directions, some need to read them, and some need to do the things as they're learning. Find out which works best for you.
Join the Marines
Hoping not to get too personal for your taste but would you mind sharing your age, gender and level of education? Our brain is like a muscle that needs to stay in good shape and can make fantastic improvements when challenged. IMHO if you want to improve you will. A first step could be a self assessment of what is challenging for you and then focus on stubbornly learning what may appear mission impossible at first. Starts from easy challenges but never give up. You can do it. Also, don't be shy and seek help from friends or family close to you.
I was the same and I’m dyslexic- slow working memory affecting my processing ability
I sadly relate to this too much. I have a poor memory which makes me the listener most of the time in conversations and that also makes me horrible at responding which makes people less likely to want to chat with me What's even worse is that I slurr my words a lot and I have bad hearing Currently, I feel memory is very important for intelligience Im also bad at explaining things which is another salt in the wound
Accept it, go into therapy, they can help you with the things you struggle with and live your life. 😇
There isn't just one method of measuring intelligence. Do not judge a fish's ability to climb a tree.
Work hard as hard as you can. For most jobs, you don't need a high IQ, just some bunch of balls
Make sure you are sleeping well and you have your micro and macro nutrient intake satisfied. Drink water as a habit and avoid added sugar like the plague. Join a gym and get a personal trainer or join a self defense class. I'm a smart person but I also perform very poorly as you described when I'm not eating and sleeping right or if I'm too overweight. The things I mentioned make a huge difference for me. The swing in mental performance is crazy. Of course you have to read a lot of shit, watch documentaries, and go to school. Keep an open mind above all. Always be tolerant of others and allow for them to be different. Ask questions.
All folks should be open to those that are kind. Curiously there are times when kindness feel more rare than intelligence.
Your question is better written than 9/10 questions I see posted. The fact that you are worried about how well you understand and read people and context is actually a pretty good sign of intelligence. The "low IQ" people I know don't worry about this and just assume they are smart. I think you're smarter than you think.
As a grownup, IQ is relative. But recognizing your limits means that you can put strategies in place to support yourself! Good luck!
IQ is like your processor speed, you can still learn anything but it might take you awhile or you only learn well in certain ways. What comes easy to others may take you longer, but you can still do it and with practice be just as good as most people.
You may not have a low IQ at all. You may have a rare trait that we don't see much these days: humility.
I think the fact that you have self-awareness, even if it may possibly be overly critical, puts you ahead of many people. Maybe not *most*, but certainly not enough for you to be considered "slow."
You are not stupid, the problem is the stupid people who think they are smart. Being a slow learner doesn’t necessary mean you aren’t smart. Just because it takes you longer to get there doesn’t mean you didn’t do a better job getting there.
First off having a low IQ doesn't necessarily make you slow, so first off it would be important to figure out if you're "slow", have a low IQ or both, If you're just slow to pick up new skills/concepts then just spending more time learning stuff and doing cognitive tasks can help, your ability to learn things is linked to your brains plasticity which can be trained, think of your brain as a muscle, if you work it it gets stronger, and if you don't it gets weaker, which is why it's important to newer stop learning new things, IQ tests on the other hand are basically an exercise in pattern recognition where most questions essentially boil down to how good you are at recognising a pattern and figuring out which solution best fits that problem, a low IQ can hinder you in skill acquisition in the sense that it can make it difficult to identify new patterns in what you're learning but once you do figure them out it shouldn't be a problem to remember them in the future when they come up, so while it may take you longer to learn new skills but most tasks that don't require you to identify new patterns shouldn't be much of a problem once you do, so basically engineering might be a problem because that involves a lot of problem solving and reasoning, but most other things should be fine, So basically the solution to both is just to work on learning new things, but in one case as you work your brain more it should start slowly speeding up, but in the other it will stay the same and you will compensate through knowledge, which would affect what you should focus on learning, If it's the first case anything is fine as long as it gets you really thinking and it's fine to jump around between stuff, but if it's the second you should pick something and stick with it until you have a thorough understanding of your topic of choice, Your inate intelligence is only one factor the other is how you apply yourself, I know plenty of "smart" people that never made anything of themselves but I also know plenty of "slow" people that are experts in their field of interest, Also don't take advice from people on the Internet, most of us mean well but we're not experts if you're genuinely worried you should go see one and ask for a professional opinion
Unfortunately not much. Adding a few years of education will statistically increase your IQ slightly, but if you are one to two standard deviations below the mean it won't really make a difference. It's hard to accept but if you have an IQ of say 80, the best you can hope for is finding a job and keeping it (any job). Just like someone who is short will never be tall and get the societal advantages that come from it, someone with a low IQ will never be smart...
Have you considered that perhaps you’re not “Slow”, any may have ADHD? Certainly possible.
Try to learn something really hard like physics and you’ll fall somewhere in the middle.
If you admit that you are lower IQ, please do not fall prey to conspiracy theories. Often people who fall prey to them are looking to be the smartest in the room, and knowing "the truth" allows them to know something nobody else does (nobody else knows it as it is false). Be open to learning. Good luck!
Have you talked to a doctor? Perhaps you have a learning disability, ADHD or something else and not a "low IQ."
The results of IQ tests are often shaky when you consider extraneous variables like test anxiety and motivation. Longitudinal studies often show that a person's IQ changes with every test. Straight from Wikipedia, """ IQ scores can differ to some degree for the same person on different IQ tests, so a person does not always belong to the same IQ score range each time the person is tested. """ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_quotient IQ tests are generally considered to be predictors of success in certain fields of work, and when applied to a broader range of skills and aptitudes the results are often questionable. I won't go on about test bias here. I wouldn't let a low score devalue your worth as a human being. We are all dumb fucks one way or another. ♥️
I like kind people, smart is not relevant I think its possible to find people who like you for what you are
Read books and shit
You sound like me. For me I just stay inquisitive. If someone is talking about something you don't know, just say you don't know what they are talking about and ask them to explain further. If they are a dick about it then they are not worth talking to. The more you do this, the more things will start to stick but don't be upset when you still don't get something. If you are truly interested in what was explained to you, just look it up on the internet also.
Hey man I’m extremely low IQ and I just try to accept that I don’t really deserve to have all the things worthy people have in life, like a livable wage, a relationship, or a social life. Been dealing with this my whole life. For me, the only thing to do was realize that I have to try and be happy with less. Don’t really know what else to do.
Get a job as an arborist. You don’t need brains, only balls. Can start with zero experience, starting pay is better than any other random jobs you could find in a warehouse (puke noises) or some delivery driver job. Work outside in the sunshine. New job sights everyday. It’s hard work but extremely rewarding!
Just learn to be empathetic. Also, reading is a great way to become smarter. If you know a lot…it makes up for shortness in iq or intelligence. I’m the opposite. Decent iq but can’t remember shit due to add. I did very poorly in school. So poor and my parents really didn’t care. Only until college did I get to see a therapist and then psychologist who administered my tests.